Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #35, Karen Kain

Karen Kain

Artistic director, National Ballet

35Karen Kain fills seats. This year—her 11th as artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada—she showed that she can draw both crowds and plaudits south of the border. The Winter’s Tale received rave reviews at the Lincoln Center in N.Y.C. At home, she produced the most profitable version of the Nutcracker ever, raking in a whopping $3.7 million in 2015. The National Ballet’s ever-rising profile is largely due to Kain’s shrewd programming, which is equal parts populist and button-pushing—for every Sleeping Beauty there’s a Le Petit Prince. Kain’s experience as a dancer informs her every move. The company has never looked better.